His Life: Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin Missouri to James Nathaniel Hughes and Carrie Langston Hughes. James Langston Hughes was born into an abolitionist family. His birth name was James Langston Hughes, but everyone called him by his middle name, Langston. When he was young his father moved to Mexico for a better life, for he believed that the only way an African American could get ahead was by leaving America. As Langston’s mother struggled to make money to support his family she moved around a lot, so she made her young son live with his grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas. Langston’s grandmother was a strong African American woman, who taught him to be proud of his roots. After she died Langston was 12 and he had to go live with his mother, new step-father, and new step-brother. In Lincoln Langston thrived in school. He was made 8th grade poet and he wrote the gradation poem for his class. The very next year his step-father received a job in Cleveland, Ohio and the whole family moved. While attending high school at Central High School, Langston’s teachers introduced him to Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg. After high school Langston went to see his father in Mexico to ask him for money to attend Columbia University in New York. At first he refused, but Langston was determined. He wrote articles for American newspapers and taught rich Mexicans English to make extra money. Langston also worked as assistant cook, launder, busboy, and seaman. His father was impressed and gave him enough money to go to Columbia for one year. He started to attend college classes just more than a year after he graduated from high school. While at Columbia University, Langston visited Harlem several times and he enjoyed the environment of the city and he wrote many poems inspired in Harlem. Also during this time period, he began writing for the NAACP magazine, Crisis. Langston was bored by his classes at Columbia, and after one year of college he dropped out. He started to attend Lincoln University on a scholarship instead. Langston graduated from Lincoln in 1929 with his B.A degree. All throughout Langston’s life he had money problems, but in 1947 he eventually was able to buy his dream home in Harlem. He lived in this house the rest of his life. On May 22, 1967 James Langston Hughes died of prostate cancer complications. He was only 65. Once he passed his house a 20 East 127th Street in Harlem, New York City was given landmark status. Also to commemorate Langston Hughes, East 127th Street was renamed Langston Hughes Place. He had a successful life by helping to bring racial issues into the light, and he will always be remembered for that.
Works: Poetry Books: The Weary Blues- 1926 Fine Clothes to the Jew-1927
Novels: Not without Laughter-1930 Shakespeare in Harlem-1942
Short Stories: The Ways of White Folks-1934
Plays: Little Ham-1935 Mulatto-1936
Autobiographies: The Big Sea: An Autobiography-1940
He wrote in total 20 plays, 16 books about Poetry, 4 volumes of “editorial” and “documentary” fiction, 3 collections of short stories, 3 autobiographies, 2 novels and dozens of magazine articles, radio, and TV articles.
1st Poem: I, Too
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--
I, too, am America.
2nd Poem: Mother to Son
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
3rd Poem: The Blues
When the shoe strings break
On both your shoes
And you're in a hurry-
That's the blues.
When you go to buy a candy bar
And you've lost the dime you had-
Slipped through a hole in your pocket somewhere-
That's the blues, too, and bad!
I like this poem for the fact that it addresses the issues of racism without attacking any race directly. The poem expresses to me that no one can hold you back. I love how I, Too is inspiring. This poem using symbolism by stating the table as the world, and how white Americans are telling black Americans to go away from the table, but eventually the black Americans will sit at the table with the white Americans. This poem is saying that even though white Americans may push blacks Americans to the side, eventually the black Americans will stick up for their rights and the white Americans will realize that it was wrong to push the black Americans away. Langston Hughes wrote this poem in a time of segregation when the whites and blacks of America were at disagreements. This was one of many poems of his that address the issuses of racism. This poem's rhyme schme is A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, D, J, K, C, L, M, N, O, A.
This poem is one of my favorites by Langston Hughes. It is inspiring and gives one the idea to never give up. After reading this poem one knows they can do anything they put their mind to. This is why I like Mother to Son so much. Symbolism is used in this poem as life is being compared to a staircase. Life can be hard sometimes as can climbing stairs. In life sometimes there can be places where it seems impossible to keep moving, but you must because life is not easy at all. This theme is never give up and life is not going to be unproblematic, but you must keep going. The history behind this poem is that at the time period in which Mother to Son was written, black Americans were being segregated against. Black Americans have to keep moving through life even though it would be tough. The rhyme scheme is A, B, C, D, E, F, B, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, B.
I enjoyed this poem and personally I think it is one of Langston Hughes more light-hearted and joyous poems. I like how this poem is short and sweet and yet it leaves a smile on your face. The Blues has the simple theme of be happy and if something bad occurs, do not allow this event might to put a damper on your day. In this poem it is almost as if Langston Hughes is making fun of those who get worked up over little things. He is saying that some events may be the blues, but these events are small and they should not affect your over-all mood. This poem uses a hyperbole of over-exaggerating about one having lost a dime. After this happens the person has the blues. In real life most people would not get the blues over losing a dime. The rhyme scheme for this poem is A, B, C, B, D, E, F, E.
Spiral staircase
Works Cited in MLA Format: Website 1
“Langston Hughes Biography”. Kansas Heritage Group <http://www.kansashertitage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html>
Website 2
“Langston Hughes>.” 1997. Poets.org. 2010 < http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmpPIb/83>
Website 3
Jackson, Andrew P. “James Langston Hughes.” Jazz is Timeless. <http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html>
Book 1
Berry, S.L. Voices in Poetry, Langston Hughes. Mankato, Minnesota: Creative Education, 1994. Print.
Book 2
Hoena, B.A. Langston Hughes great American Writer. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2005. Print.
Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin Missouri to James Nathaniel Hughes and Carrie Langston Hughes. James Langston Hughes was born into an abolitionist family. His birth name was James Langston Hughes, but everyone called him by his middle name, Langston. When he was young his father moved to Mexico for a better life, for he believed that the only way an African American could get ahead was by leaving America. As Langston’s mother struggled to make money to support his family she moved around a lot, so she made her young son live with his grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas. Langston’s grandmother was a strong African American woman, who taught him to be proud of his roots. After she died Langston was 12 and he had to go live with his mother, new step-father, and new step-brother. In Lincoln Langston thrived in school. He was made 8th grade poet and he wrote the gradation poem for his class. The very next year his step-father received a job in Cleveland, Ohio and the whole family moved. While attending high school at Central High School, Langston’s teachers introduced him to Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg. After high school Langston went to see his father in Mexico to ask him for money to attend Columbia University in New York. At first he refused, but Langston was determined. He wrote articles for American newspapers and taught rich Mexicans English to make extra money. Langston also worked as assistant cook, launder, busboy, and seaman. His father was impressed and gave him enough money to go to Columbia for one year. He started to attend college classes just more than a year after he graduated from high school. While at Columbia University, Langston visited Harlem several times and he enjoyed the environment of the city and he wrote many poems inspired in Harlem. Also during this time period, he began writing for the NAACP magazine, Crisis. Langston was bored by his classes at Columbia, and after one year of college he dropped out. He started to attend Lincoln University on a scholarship instead. Langston graduated from Lincoln in 1929 with his B.A degree. All throughout Langston’s life he had money problems, but in 1947 he eventually was able to buy his dream home in Harlem. He lived in this house the rest of his life. On May 22, 1967 James Langston Hughes died of prostate cancer complications. He was only 65. Once he passed his house a 20 East 127th Street in Harlem, New York City was given landmark status. Also to commemorate Langston Hughes, East 127th Street was renamed Langston Hughes Place. He had a successful life by helping to bring racial issues into the light, and he will always be remembered for that.
Poetry Books:
The Weary Blues- 1926
Fine Clothes to the Jew-1927
Novels:
Not without Laughter-1930
Shakespeare in Harlem-1942
Short Stories:
The Ways of White Folks-1934
Plays:
Little Ham-1935
Mulatto-1936
Autobiographies:
The Big Sea: An Autobiography-1940
He wrote in total 20 plays, 16 books about Poetry, 4 volumes of “editorial” and “documentary” fiction, 3 collections of short stories, 3 autobiographies, 2 novels and dozens of magazine articles, radio, and TV articles.
I, Too
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--
I, too, am America.
Mother to Son
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
The Blues
When the shoe strings break
On both your shoes
And you're in a hurry-
That's the blues.
When you go to buy a candy bar
And you've lost the dime you had-
Slipped through a hole in your pocket somewhere-
That's the blues, too, and bad!
Website 1
“Langston Hughes Biography”. Kansas Heritage Group <http://www.kansashertitage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html>
Website 2
“Langston Hughes>.” 1997. Poets.org. 2010 < http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmpPIb/83>
Website 3
Jackson, Andrew P. “James Langston Hughes.” Jazz is Timeless. <http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html>
Book 1
Berry, S.L. Voices in Poetry, Langston Hughes. Mankato, Minnesota: Creative Education, 1994. Print.
Book 2
Hoena, B.A. Langston Hughes great American Writer. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2005. Print.